“Now the LORD said to Abram,“Go out from your country, your relatives, and your fatherʼs household to the land that I will show you.” (Genesis 12:1)
I had a conversation with another pastor friend yesterday. He, as I, went to seminary for 4 years, went through all the questioning and interviews by the board of ordained ministers, spent years as a provisional member, and finally was also ordained as an elder in the United Methodist Church. When the UMC abandoned it’s covenant and walked away from Biblical Orthodox teachings and went progressive, he, as I also did, left the UMC. And we walked away from the UMC and all the years, time, effort, uprooting our families, financial and other investments we poured into the UMC and our credentials. My pastor friend shared with me the struggles he was having for his being obedient to God and walking away from all the security of the denomination. He and his church are meeting in temporary facilities and facing challenges. And since He knew I am going through the same thing, wanted to “vent” and receive prayer.
It reminded me of a story in my life and the life of our church One Direction Community (ODC). In December of 2015 ODC was sent a certified letter from the owners of the building we had helped restore and were using for our Gatherings. The letter stated in ODC would no longer be able to use their facility in 2016, which we received 18 days before the end of the year. So after our Christmas Eve service, we put on work clothe, pulled up Uhaul, and that night loaded up all our equipment, furnishings, all of our things and moved them to a storage unit. We were upset.
However, for a several months before we were evicted, I felt a spiritual tension every time I walked into the building. It was not a welcoming place. However, ODC had put over $75k into the renovation of the building into a space for a church. We spent hundreds of hours over the past year and a half knocking out walls, wiring, plumbing, painting, and renovating it. And our rent, which was a donation, was only $500 a month. So because of my reluctance to walk away from the huge investment we put into the building, and not knowing where we would find a place to rent for anything close to $500 a month in Madison, and the fear and uncertainty of change, we stayed at the building. I knew in my spirit it was a spiritually toxic place that we needed to leave, but I did not have the balls to make the change. God has much bigger balls than me. He caused to happen what needed to happen because I would not. Did it happen in an un-ethical or unfair way? Yes. Did it need to happen though? Yes. Is God fair? No.
Being kicked out put us into a season of fasting and praying for 28 days to listen and hear God’s direction for ODC. It led us to launching Community Dinners at Terranovas, a Sunday morning gathering in a Flea Market, serving at the Manna House, leading a monthly gathering and teaching of discipleship trainings at the Downtown Rescue Mission, forming prayer nights on Fridays, and growing our house churches. One of us had to have enough balls to make the change to allow this to happen, though I lacked them, God did not.
“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?”” (Romans 11:33-34)
Take a few moments to pray into the Holy Spirit. Ok, I know this is a kind of weird reflection, but prayerfully meditate on, “If I had enough balls to make this change in my life, what would it be?” What would it take to cause it to happen? What would that event look like? What would the future result of that change look like? In Jesus’ name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you my friends!
Please share your thoughts in the comment box below.
My wife Nancy and I are in a new season of our ministry of pouring completely into planting and growing simple house churches in our neighborhoods, and having “boots on the ground” serving in our community.. Please pray over this season in my life and that of my family. Please partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758. Thank You Thank You!
